Nuclear structure & decays is a research area in nuclear physics that investigates the internal configuration, quantum states, and dynamical behavior of atomic nuclei, along with the mechanisms by which unstable nuclei transform via radioactive decay. It encompasses the development and application of models such as shell, collective, and mean-field theories to describe nucleon distributions, energy levels, and transition probabilities, and studies decay modes including alpha, beta, gamma, and fission processes. The field integrates experimental spectroscopy, reaction studies, and advanced many-body calculations to elucidate nuclear forces, shape coexistence, isomerism, and the evolution of structure far from stability, informing both fundamental theory and applications in astrophysics and nuclear technology.
Many heavy atomic nuclei are shaped more or less like squashed rugby balls than fully inflated ones, according to a theoretical study by RIKEN nuclear physicists published in The European Physical Journal A. This unexpected ...
General Physics
Nov 13, 2025
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For the first time, a research team from the University of Cologne has observed the electron capture decay of technetium-98, an isotope of the chemical element technetium (Tc). Electron capture decay is a process in which ...
General Physics
Oct 31, 2025
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Deep under a mountain in Italy, researchers continue to push the boundaries of science with an experiment that could rewrite the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
General Physics
Oct 23, 2025
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Physicists at MIT have developed a new way to probe inside an atom's nucleus, using the atom's own electrons as "messengers" within a molecule.
General Physics
Oct 23, 2025
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You can't have gold until a nucleus decays. The specifics of that process have been hard to pin down, but UT's nuclear physicists have published three discoveries in one paper explaining key details. The results can help ...
General Physics
Oct 22, 2025
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Neutrinos are very common fundamental particles included in the Standard Model of particle physics. Measuring their properties allows for creating more accurate models of the birth of the universe, the life of stars and the ...
General Physics
Oct 7, 2025
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A researcher, Heikki Mäntysaari from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), has been part of an international research group that has made significant advances in modeling heavy ion collisions. New computer models provide ...
General Physics
Sep 29, 2025
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Although the building blocks of life such as hydrogen and oxygen appear stable to us, many theories of physics predict that they are actually just tremendously long-lived, with the particles found in their nuclei slowly, ...
General Physics
Sep 22, 2025
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At any given moment, trillions of particles called neutrinos are streaming through our bodies and every material in our surroundings, without noticeable effect. Smaller than electrons and lighter than protons, these ghostly ...
General Physics
Sep 8, 2025
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An experiment carried out at CERN's ISOLDE facility has determined the western shore of a small island of atomic nuclei, where conventional nuclear rules break down.
General Physics
Sep 2, 2025
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